ONE of the county’s major manufacturing firms is set to create 300 jobs after seeing an increase in its orders.

Construction industry company Caterpillar said the extra jobs will increase the workforce at its Desford plant by around a third.

General manager Robert Droogleever said: “We plan to take on another 300 jobs this year. About 80% will be on the shopfloor, with most being temporary. We aim to make many of them permanent next year.”

He added that the rest of the new permanent and temporary jobs would be in sales and administration roles.

The company has already expanded its Desford workforce by 300 in the past few months and the new permanent and temporary jobs will increase their ranks again by another third to around 1,300 staff – almost back to the pre-recession peak of 1,400.

Caterpillar has been able to create the new permanent and temporary positions as production of one of their signature diggers is being moved from the United States to the Desford plant.

The factory is the world centre for backhoe loaders – machines with a shovel at the front and a digger at the rear.

The vehicles will make up 80% of production at the site compared to just over half previously.

And managers said that the production relocation, along with an increase in orders, means that the long-term future of the Desford plant is now safe.

The announcement of the new jobs comes after hundreds of posts were axed last year after orders slumped because of the credit crunch

During the worst of the recession, shopfloor staff had to work a three-day week and also carried out charity work for four weeks after production lines were put on hold.